ABC FC (Brazil)

ABC Futebol Clube come from the north east Brazilian city of Natal - the nearest point of the South American continent to Africa. The name of the city means Christmas in Portuguese, in commemoration of the day that its original village was founded in 1599. The club themselves were formed in 1914 in a meeting at the home of Colonel Avelino Alves Freire, where it was also decided that they'd play in the black and white stripes. The ABC of the name stands for Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and made reference to a friendship pact signed by the three countries in 1903.

Defining their home ground is a little tricky right now. Officially they play at the 30,000 capacity Estádio Dr. João Cláudio Vasconcelos Machado - although this is due to be demolished at the end of 2010 to make way for the new Arena das Dunas in time for the 2014 World Cup. They also own the 18,000 capacity Estádio Maria Lamas Farache, which is where they'll be playing when their older, larger home is being pulled down.

They play in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série C, the third level of Brazilian football, after their relegatation in 2009. But they also take part in the Campeonato Potiguar, which is the state championship of the Rio Grande do Norte province, that they have won a staggering 51 times. This success got them recognised in the Guinness Book of Records as having the longest run of consecutive league wins when they took the title every year in a run lasting between 1932 and 1941.

They go by the nickname of O Mais Querido - which means Most Wanted. Their first ever game was against their local rivals Natal Esporte Club, which they won 13-1 - a promising start to their career. 

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